Upholstery filling device



May 15, 1928.

G. C. M CULLOUGH UPHOLSTERY FILLING DEVICE Filed April 24, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 15, 1928. 1,669,721

G. c. MCCULLOUGH IUPHOLSTERY FILLING DEVICE Filed April 24, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gwuento a Patented May 15, 1928.

nearer PATiEN T ferries...

GILBERT ,c, ccumonen, or nnmnorr, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR""I-'O PR-E aine 'Pnon- "nc'rs consumer nn'rnom'mcmean, A CORPORATION or MICHIGAN.

U PKOLSTERY FILLING DEVICE.

Application filed April 24, 1925. Serial N0.-25,566.

"l -his invention relates to devices for the insertion of filling material into tubular envelopes [or ,devices; and more particularly to the insertion of fibrous batts into the tubular '5 pleats 10f upholstery,

;By my inventlon I propose to make use, ameasure, of a method well-known in yairiousnrts ObfiIl-ingwtubular envelopes-r devices which :involve the carrying of the :fill

l ing materialin [a core or itube into the envelo .e or tubularldevice to the filled and there- -a ter withdrawing the core trom theenve --lope "torthe envelope from the core as the -oase anay be), leaving the zfilling material in the said envelope.

Sometimes the coresnhaneibeen'formed of a gvplura'lity of elements such as parallel pad miles or a pair of straight, curved 101' flanged walls which, whilst they may eIlOt strictly be referred to as a tube, nevertheless serve lthQ LPOI'tflHt :object of this invention is the ipro vlision such a device wherein the core includes a plurality of sections disposed one above .the other and forming the core proper, which sections are capable of vertical relaitiveexpansion and contraction throughout .15 practically their entire length, whereby a 1am and even compression of'the filling materialnmayibe effectedwduring its insertion into a tubular envelope and such compression irelieved throughout practically 'the entlre 40 length 'ofithe inserted fillingmaterial during the withdrawalof the core from the said envelope.

Aiurther object is to provide forthe practically complete enclosure of the material during its insertion into-the said tubnlarzen 'vel'ope, and particularly atithe *t'Orwardend :(If the filling so 'that'tendency of the same to :bind on theimaterial otthe envelope and tear or otherwise add didficulty .to the filling oporation is minimized.

llhe invention further aims to provide a core for the purposes indicated comprising upper and lower "members hinged togetherlat en d .so that .-:one of the parts may the C swung on its hinge to a substantial .ententlto *tion as it may be carried into effect, will befilling of tubular emvelop'es with fibrousanapermit of free access -to the interior o-fithe core for iacihtating the extending or positioning of filling material --therein and also by means oi such h nge construction to per- .mi't the rais ngot one member tromtthe other @6 pound hinge in the manner suggested or {a hinge hav ng such freedonnof movement that movement of the hingedmemberof the core outwardly of the'other member thereofmay 2'; beveliected irrespective of or in addition to the swinging wmovement permitted by the hinge so that the diameter of Ethe core "may be increased or decreased adjacent the said hinge as well as at Ithe forward end of the core. In .other words, with the said members of the core arranged oneabove the other,

the upper member may be vertically-movable in approximately parallel relation {to the lower member as well as swingable at an angle thereto. 7

Still further objects subsidiary to or resulting from the aforesaid objects, or trom the construction or operation of the gin-vencome apparent as the said invention is hereinafter further disclosed.

In carrymg thesaid 1nvent-1on mto1eiiect I may provide, as a :means ofsfacihtating the no terial, a. core of tubularformation, including upperor lower members having downwardly and upwardly extending lateral marginal portions, the lateral portions of one member overlapping those of the other, the lower member being provided with ;a flared tubular handle por tionrthrough which the fibrous material mayibelintrodueed'to the core and the upper member hingedly at tached to the inner end .of the said flared ll-oe tubular portion. These two members are preferably of approximately --the 'same length I as the tubular envelopes to be 'ifilleitl, 1S0 .athat they may the passed completely thereint'o, and the .=forwar.d :end of the upper is notched to ,permit access :to the filler contained inthe core so that it may be wllBlCl against removal during @the withdrawal of the core from the envelope. In a-preterred form of thesdevioerthe is'aidghingeisof doubl #1 10 or compound construction F0 that a vertical movement of the hinged member of the core at the hinged end of the said member is permitted irrespective of the swinging movement thereof.

All of which is more particularly described and ascertained hereinafter by way of example, having reference. to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is a perspective view of a core embodying the said invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse section illustrating such a core inserted in a tubular envelope such as the pleat of upholstery, the upper and lower members of the tube being contracted together on the filling material;

Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 2, illustrating the upper and lower members as being expanded against the walls of the envelope by the said filling material;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section illustrating the core and filling inserted in a tubular pleat of upholstery and the filling being held preparatory to the withdrawing of the core from the pleat;

Figure 5 is a. broken plan view of a preferred modified form of the device;

FigureG is a side elevation of the same showing the parts of the core in their closed or relatively contracted position;

Figure 7 is a similar view to Figure (3 showing the parts in their expanded position; and

Figures 8, S), It) and 11 indicate various cross sections of core members which may be utilized.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar parts in the several figures of the drawings.

The device illustrated in Figures 1 to t will first be described, although the features of this device are also to be found in the arrangement Figures 5 to 7 which will be hereinafter further referred to.

The core comprises upper and lower members l and 2, both of these members being of approximately semi-elliptical conl'igurzn tion in cross section, and the upper member having downwardly flanged lateral portions 2 adapted to enter between upwardly flanged lateral portions 4; of the lower member :2.

Attached to or integral with the rear end of the lower member 52 is a flared tubular portion 5 through which fibrous material such as a length of cotton batt may be introduced into the core as is clearly apparent in Figure 4, and the upper member 1 of the core is attached to this tubular member 5 by means of a hinge 6, so that it may swing upwardly thereon. Obviously this said member 1 may be swung upwardly to a suflicient extent to allow full access to the trough like member 2, so that the positioning of filling material therein may be very easily efi'ected, although if desired the filling of the core may be cfl'ccted with the number 1 in its closed position over the member :1 by simply feeding the filling material between the said members through the flared portion 5 of the device wherein the nature of the filling material is such that it lends itself to this method of introduction.

As before stated, the core is intended to be passed completely into a tubular envelope such as the tubular pleat of upholstery, this being indicated by the reference numeral 7 in the drawings, and the upper member 1 may be depressed upon the lower member 2, compressing the batt and permitting its ready introduction into the envelope, as shown in Figure 2, during which period pressure of the hand or otherwise on the upper part of the envelope is sullicient to retain the core in its contracted form.

Upon release of such pressure, however, the expansion of the filling material will result in the expansion of the core, as indicated in Figure 3, to the fullest extent permitted by the tubular pleat, thereby relieving the pressure of the walls of the core on the filling material to a sulilstant-ial extent; and under these conditions the said core may be easily withdrawn from the pleat whilst the filling material is held against such withdrawal such as by means of the pressure of the thumb on the end thereof as indicated in Figure 4. To admit of the thumb being so applied, a notch 8 is preferably formed in the forward end of the said upper member 1.

The end of the lower member 2 it is preferred to form so that it will extend sub stantially to the end of the pleat as shown in Figure l and forms a guide which assists in the carrying of the filling throughout the full length of the said pleat. and tends to prevent said filling passing beneath the underside of the member 2, at the same time it forms a pressure plate upon which the filling is compressed by the thumb as shown in Figure 4, preparatory to the withdrawing of the core from the pleat, this pressure plate being smooth and lending to facilitate the initial sliding movement between the core and the filling material when the withdrawal of the. said core is comn'ienccd, so that there is not the same lclldl'lu'y ol' the end of the filling to break away from the remainder of the filling in,lhe tube as might otherwise be experienced.

It will be apparent that the expansion of the core by the filling material when pressure on the core has been relieved as explained extends throughout practically the whole length of the core so that binding of the filling material in the core is not likely to be experienced, particularly where the core properly designed and proportioned to suit the nature and size of the pleat with which it is to be used.

lill) It will be furtherobvious that such a device may be utilized with filling material supplied in rolls of substantial lengths, so that as the core is withdrawn from a pleat it is simply passed rearwardly over the filling material extending from that part. thereof which remains in the pleat, and the lower forward end of the member 2 may be abruptly lifted upon its withdrawal from the pleat, thereby severing the filling material and leaving the core in a reloaded state ready for insertion into another pleat, and so on.

To still further ensure the expansion of the core throughout its length preparatory to withdrawal, from a pleat, I prefer to use a compound hinge such as that indicated in Figures 5, 6 and 7, from which figures it Will be seen that the upper part 10 of the core is capable of being raised substantially throughout its length with respect to the lower part 11 as will be apparent from a comparative examination of Figures 6 and 7. Consequently great freedom is permitted the filler in the core after pressure thereon has been relieved.

Figure 8 illustrates sectional configurations of the upper and lower members of the core of the type indicated in Figures 1 and 4.

Figure 9 illustrates a core of approximately hexagonal configuration, the upper member 12 having angular-1y bent lateral portions 13 terminating in flanges 14, and the lower portion 15 having angularly bent lateral portions 16 terminating in flanges 17 which overlap the flanges 14 of the upper member.

In Figure 10 the upper and lower memhere 18 and 19 are of approximately semicircular sectional configuration, with their meeting edges overlapped, and in Figure 11 the upper and lower members 20 and 21 are of channeled configuration in cross section with their side walls 22 and 23 respectively overlapping.

In this device it will be apparent that no resiliency in the device itself is depended upon to secure the functioning in the manner described, so that the material of which it is made is simply a matter of choice and convenience and it admits of very simple con st-ruction, although at the same time being very efliclent and reliable in its operation, effectively meeting the requirements as to operation of such a device in handling more or less frail filling material and effecting a compact and complete filling of tubular envelopes. I

This invention may be developed within the scope of the following claims without departing from the essential features of the said invention, and it is desired that the specification and drawings be read as merely illustrative and not in a limiting sense, except as necessitated by the prior art.v

What I claim is 1. Means for introducing fibrous material into tubular envelopes, comprising a core longitudinally divided into two members, a compound hinge connecting one end of one of the members to an end of the other memher and permitting an outward parallel movement of one of the members relative to the other member as well as a swinging movement thereof.

2. Means for introducing fibrous material into tubular envelopes, comprising a tubular member and an elongated member extending therefrom and adapted to receive filling material, a similar elongated member hinged to the tubular member and overlying the first named tubular member to form an enclosure therewith, whereby said elongated members may be manually compressed on said material and expanded by said material when manual compression is relieved.

8. Means for introducing fibrous material into tubular invelopes, comprising an elongated member having an enclosing portion formed at one end, and another elongated member movably mounted with respect to said portion and adapted to form an enclosure with said first named member, whereby said elongated members may be manually compressed on said material and expanded by said material when manual pressure is relieved.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

GILBERT o. McGULLOUGH. 

